


I could start fires (with what I feel for you)

by Maiucha



Category: Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bands, Christmas, Christmas Music, Domestic, M/M, Music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21996931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiucha/pseuds/Maiucha
Summary: Tony, Steve and Natasha own a record label (while Pep runs SI), that's all you need to know.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	I could start fires (with what I feel for you)

**Author's Note:**

> This work belongs to the [SteveTony Secret Santa of Twitter/Tumblr 2019](https://stevetonysecretsanta.tumblr.com/), and it's my present for @matchina04 - happy belated Christmas, darling, hope you have fun with this =D.
> 
> (while this is comic-inspired, it can work for any universe. if you recognize a quote, it's not mine. title from the song Fires, by David Ramirez).

# 1.

  


"You can't quit!" 

"I can do as I damn want, Stark," after that, with an unnecessary flourish of his cape (why is he even wearing a cape?) Thor leaves the office. 

Tony bangs his head against his desk several times until the door opens again and he looks up, hoping it'sThor who reconsidered. It's not Thor. 

"Oh, it's you," he says to the newcomer. 

"And good morning to you too, Tony," Steve, as usual, sounds smug and happy and Tony wants to smack him. He blames Thor for that one, too.

"It was a good morning until Thor happened," he sits up straight, Steve is holding a mug and Tony makes grabby hands to it. He gets it. He doesn't want to punch Steve anymore. He wants to kiss him. As usual. The coffee is very good.

"Wanna tell me what the problem was?"

"Him," Tony says.

"A little more detail would be great."

"He thinks he's too good for Christmas songs."

Steve opens his mouth and before he can agree with Thor, Tony stops him.

"I know he is," he hisses, "but he still needs to be part of the Christmas album, it's in their contract."

Steve sighs and grabs the mug from Tony's hands, takes a sip and leaves it on the desk at equal reach for both of them. 

"There are ways to say things Tony, and telling someone they're obligated to record a Christmas song for a collaborative album is probably not very nice nor festive."

"I'm not very nice nor festive," Tony argues and that makes Steve smile. Tony bites his bottom lip to not smile in response. 

"Do you want me to take care of Thor?"

"No, I want him to be reasonable."

"You want the man that only answers to a stage name and who wears a cape even outside his stage persona to be reasonable?"

"I was thinking about that cape earlier, really, is it necessary?" 

Steve gets up and doesn't dignify the question with an answer, he takes one last sip of the coffee before walking to the door with a final "I'll talk to Thor."

"Thank you," Tony says, because his mother raised him right. "I think yours are always less complicated than mine."

"Not all of yours are that complicated, there's Clint for example."

"That's right, Clint is absolutely marvellous," Tony says.

# 2.

  


Clint is not absolutely marvellous. 

"You want what?"

"A choir," Clint isn't looking at Tony as he speaks, he's playing with his dog. "A Christian choir."

"Why?" Tony is pretty sure he asked this already.

"Because it goes with the season."

"You make hardcore punk, Barton."

"I don't like to be defined by a genre," Clint looks up, his eyes are shining like a mischievous toddler and the bandage on his nose helps to make him look way younger than he actually is. 

"Can it be carol singers?" Tony asks, looking away because damn Clint and his adorable toddler look.

"What? No, that makes no sense."

"Oh, of course, carol singers in Christmas, what am I even thinking about?" Tony takes his phone out, texts Steve his earlier thought ("Clint is not absolutely marvellous") and closes it. Lucky barks, as if he knew what Tony wrote. 

"It's not the same, I really think a choir would be a nicer touch."

"You'll do the opening and closing songs," Tony orders, doesn't ask. "And if I want anything else from you for this album, you'll say _yes Tony, of course Tony, whatever you need Tony_."

"Yes Tony, of course Tony, whatever you need Tony," Clint parrots. He's enjoying this. 

Tony turns around, maybe Rhodney knows someone who knows someone who can get a Christian choir to work with a guy whose debut album had an inverted cross in the cover. Maybe he can play the sympathetic card, the guy does music with less than 40% of his hearing. Clint hates it when anyone brings that up, says it's just the way things are and that there's nothing special about it, but Tony's desperate. 

There's a text from Steve when he unlocks his phone: "I'm sorry. But I fixed things with Thor, am I absolutely marvellous?" 

Tony wants to say yes. "You're okay," he writes instead.

# 3.

  


Tony gets home after eight. It smells like roasted potatoes and chicken, he hasn't eaten in hours and his stomach rumbles in response to the smell. 

"Hey, Jarvis," he says, walking into the kitchen. 

His butler, for lack of a better word, has his back to him and is taking the food out of the oven. Jarvis doesn't turn, but returns the greeting, and Tony thinks again that he's glad that Jarvis never wanted to leave, that his stubbornness outmatched his own and that he stayed. Coming home to Jarvis is coming home to family. 

"How was your day?" Jarvis asks. 

The food makes Tony's eyes water alongside his mouth. He grabs the plates to set the table.

"Musicians are annoying, I don't know why I ever wanted to represent them."

"Because not everyone was given the same treatment and it was unfair." Jarvis relates, "you were also fed up with corporations and drunk at that time. And younger."

"When I bring a date you'll embarrass me with that tale, won't you?"

"No need, Captain Rogers already knows it."

Tony turns and gives Jarvis a look. Jarvis returns the look. They don't blink for a minute but Tony, as always, ends up losing.

"Coming back to my point," Tony says, "it was a long day. I fought with Thor and I'm trying to find a Christian choir for Clint, and tomorrow I have to pick up Strange from the airport. Dealing with weapons would have been easier than this."

"I'm sure," Jarvis says, starting to serve the food. Tony notices he took another plate out at some point. 

"Happy didn't come up with me, he said he wanted to eat at his home," Tony explains. 

"I'm aware," Jarvis replies. 

Tony waits. A moment later, he hears steps and he turns to face the kitchen entrance.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Tony smiles and barely holds back the need to hug Natasha's lean frame. Talking about family. 

"Absolutely," she says, and walks towards them. She gives Tony a kiss on the cheek and another to Jarvis, compliments the food and sits on the table, all in one wonderful swift move. 

"I didn't know you were coming."

"I finished T'Challa's tour details and caught an early flight from London. Since I wasn't sure when I was going to get here, I only called Edwin."

Jarvis puts a plate in front of her and motions Tony to sit in his place. He does, and as a reward he gets food and Natasha's smile. 

It's amazing for less than a minute because she says "so, you fought with Thor?"

"No one can keep a secret in this family," he complains. 

"Actually, Thor complained with Quill, who then came to me."

"What did Quill had to complain about to you?"

"He was worried he wasn't going to be on the album."

Tony rolls his eyes, "did he say there's no Christmas album without The Guardians of the Galaxy?"

"Those may have been his words," Natasha smiles again at him, "I told him that Steve was going to talk to him when he got back here, that he didn't need to worry."

"Well, good," Tony looks at Jarvis, daring, "Steve solved the Thor thing."

"I figured," Natasha dismisses it, Jarvis pointedly doesn't look at Tony. 

"Clint wants a choir."

"I'll take care of that."

Tony goes to bed after wishing Natasha and Jarvis goodnight while they drink tea, he's not tired, but he needs to review the artists he hasn't talked to yet, and he needs to be awake for that. On the way to his room he texts Steve: "Natasha's home". The reply is almost immediate: "Thanks for letting me know, see you tomorrow." There's a happy emoji after that and Tony can't help smiling at it. He almost runs into the wall next to his bedroom door while doing that, but luckily no one's around to see it.

# 4.

  


Tony is waiting behind a small crowd of people with Strange's merch and shirts. He can recognize a few faces, the ones that have been around from the start, the one that put up with Stephen's... _Stepheness_. Tony doesn't fully get it, but he can't actually blame them, the asshole is talented and sometimes, when it's very late and dark, Tony can admit he's not that much of an asshole. Some of these people must know that or else they're masochists. Or they don't care. When Strange is on the stage, behind the piano, Tony doesn't care either. And it's not only because Strange brings in a lot of money (which he does) but the guy is pretty good at his music. 

The vibration of his phone brings Tony out of his mental process and he swipes to pick up the call. 

"I'm not late, I'm waiting for Strange at the airport," he says as a hello.

"I know that, Tony," Steve replies, "unlike you, I check our calendar. "

"Good for you. Did you need anything?"

"I'm actually on my way to talk to Carol."

"Why? Carol is mine."

"Carol is in jail."

Tony straight up sighs, he thought he had this covered "climate change or planned parenthood?" 

"Climate change."

"Try not to end up inside with her again."

"That only happened once," Steve replies, and Tony can imagine his face when he's saying it. 

"Try to take her to the office," Tony asks, "and thanks."

"I'll try, good luck with Stephen."

Strange is in an oddly good mood that Tony doesn't complain about, and by the time they're in the car with Happy they've arranged Stephen's schedule to record the song for the album.

# 5.

  


"Hey Barnes, missed me?" Tony says, entering Steve's office without even knocking.

"Always," Bucky flashes a smile that's all teeth towards Tony before saying, "I'm even wearing your favourite jacket."

"Are you two done?" Steve asks, from his side on his desk.

"We haven't even started," Tony grins and so does Bucky, the immediate sigh and eye roll Steve gives them only works to make their smiles bigger. 

"Carol is in your office."

"Spoilsport," Bucky says, while Tony walks inside. 

"All is settled with Strange," he replies to Steve and turns to Bucky, "how's the arm?"

Bucky's smile loses the teasing and it becomes soft and reaches his eyes, "it's amazing, I played the drums the whole day yesterday and it didn't even cramp once."

"Bet your neighbours loved that."

Bucky laughs and Tony smiles, "good to have you back."

"Not gonna miss the Christmas album."

Tony leaves the room and goes to his own office. Carol is sitting there with her hair up and writing furiously on her phone. 

"Hello, sunshine,"

"Please don't tell me I shouldn't have gone to the rally."

"You shouldn't have gotten arrested," Tony says, and that makes Carol look up.

"We can agree on that," she says.

They spend the rest of the afternoon designing the press statement.

# 6.

  


Natasha got the Christian choir for Clint. Steve spoke with The Guardians of the Galaxy about their two songs for the album and Quill emailed Tony his ideas for the cover (for a change, they aren't all terribly tacky). The list in Tony's desk has more checks than not, and December is still a week away. He smiles. There's a knock on his door.

"Yeah?"

"You wanted to see me?" Peter walks in, there's still some glitter on his face and Tony wonders if he had a recording that day that he doesn't remember or if he just started using glitter regularly. Both are possible. 

"Just making sure you're okay with recording a song for the Christmas album since it's your first year."

"Of course, Mist--Tony," Peter smiles, "you don't even have to ask."

"Of course I have to ask, Mister Parker," Tony says. He doesn't smile, he's not joking, "you're an important rising star, we'd be honoured to have you."

It makes Peter giggle, he's a kid in so many things, Tony can't believe someone said no to his face. The red and blue glitter shines on his cheek. Tony wonders if he can find the people who rejected Peter and burn their companies. Steve wouldn't approve, he would say that burning things isn't good, he would want to ruin them. Tony is okay with ruining them, too. 

"Count me in, Tony," Peter says, and he's trying to sound cool like Clint or Bucky. It warms Tony's heart. Hedismisses Peter with a smile and grabs his phone from its charging spot.

"Thanks for doing this with me," he texts Steve.

"You're welcome," it's the first reply he gets, and immediately "doing what?"

"Ruining companies that didn't treat them right."

The reply comes instantly again, "I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."

# 7.

  


"Shuri's coming tomorrow, Steve is picking her up," Natasha says, after thanking Jarvis for the cup of chocolate she's holding. 

"Great," Tony nods, getting comfortable on the floor, with his back against the couch, "and her brother?"

"He has a show in New York next week, so he'll be here," the one that answers is Steve, making Tony turn his head to look at him, which is distracting because he's barefoot and his socks have reindeer on them.

"Everyone else already reported themselves, right?" Natasha asks and Tony turns back to her. She's drinking from her mug which makes Tony grab his and take a gulp of the coffee Jarvis brought him. 

"All of mine are in."

"Same," Steve sits down on the couch behind Tony, his leg touches Tony's side. The reindeer socks call his attention again. Natasha starts typing on her computer, it becomes background noise, just like the snow outside. 

"Did you know," Tony tells Steve, "that if we take biology into account, Santa's sleigh is pulled only by female reindeer?"

Steve comes closer, resting his elbows on his knees and asks, "how's that?"

"Both male and female reindeer have prongs, but males' fall in the winter and they grow back later. Considering Santa's trip happens during winter and they have prongs, then they're all females."

Steve smiles, "that's pretty awesome." Tony wants to tell him that he is really awesome.

"Females doing all the work, what a strange notion," Natasha says from her spot, she doesn't sound mad (Tony has heard her mad) and the left side of her mouth is curved in a smile. 

"You know we'd be lost without you," Steve says, he sat back into the couch.

"She knows," Tony agrees and Natasha makes a sound of agreement. 

When Tony goes to bed, he dreams of reindeer socks and waking up to see them on his bed. It's pleasant.

# 8.

  


Clint is laughing with Bucky at something they're seeing on one of their phones while Quill and his bandmates are inside the studio. Tony observes them from the door with a certain peace he's still not fully used to. It's the fifth year they're doing this. The album, sure, but the work together in general. Tony still finds it weird, that he's allowed to have all of this. That they want to do this with him.

"Hey," Steve's voice says beside him, he's holding a paper cup from the coffee place around the corner and offers it to Tony. "Is everyone in?"

"Not yet, but Natasha got Quill and his people already inside," Tony replies before taking a sip of the coffee. He tastes something odd in it, not bad per se, just different. He gives it back to Steve.

"Good, keeping them busy is the best way with them."

Tony agrees and they exchange the cup back and forth without talking. 

"You're silent," Steve says.

"Are you complaining?"

"I'm just stating a fact," Steve doesn't give the cup back immediately, he takes another sip and Tony can see him putting it down and wetting his lips. It makes him do the same. Steve catches him doing that and looking. He smiles as he gives back the cup, "you okay?"

"December mood," Tony says, and looks away. Most people suffer from different mood swings around this time of year, Tony knows that. It's not absolutely true about him, but it's not a total lie either. 

Steve nods and grabs the cup before Tony gives it to him. He seems to be measuring how much is left, maybe he's thinking that he should have bought a bigger one.

"I should have bought the big one," Steve says, and Tony likes it when Steve's predictable like that. "Or one for each, but we're trying to have you drinking less coffee."

"You and...?"

"Jarvis," Steve says that as if it's obvious that he and Jarvis talk about Tony's diet. 

Tony grabs the cup again, takes a big gulp and lets the coffee sit in his mouth for a moment. He swallows. He takes another sip out of malice. Then he notices, "you put nutmeg on this, didn't you?" 

Steve laughs, he's so close that Tony can feel the vibration coming from his chest and it makes him want to press against it to feel it more. 

"It's a valid coffee addition," Steve says, and he's not laughing anymore, but Tony doesn't move away. For the record, neither does Steve. "And you're drinking it, so you can't complain."

"I can always complain," Tony reasons, giving Steve back the coffee and moving away from him and the door. He doesn't want to but he has to. "Let's help Natasha with the kids."

Steve nods, finishes the coffee and follows Tony.

# 9.

  


"Do you miss it?" Tony asks Natasha when they're alone in the editing room. 

"Huh?"

"Being on the other side."

"Not really, no," she looks up from her console. "I liked some things, but I like this better."

"We'd be lost without you," Tony takes his place next to her. "Or I'd be, Steve kinda knew what he was doing, I only had a lot of money."

"You learned pretty fast."

"I like to read," he flashes her a smile but she rolls her eyes at it. 

"What brought this up?"

"What?"

"That," Natasha presses a few buttons and looks at Tony, "we've been doing this for years and you've never brought anything like that up."

"We've been doing it for years," he agrees, "when we passed the first year I assumed you two were gonna walk out, that the artists we had were going to look for bigger labels, better contracts."

"When you started this no one was surprised," she says, "you had been on the music industry for about twenty years, consulting for a lot of people, pointing artists in the right direction, covering people's messes, offering money when it was needed. You still were the CEO who liked to mess with music for most people, but anyone who actually worked with you could see that there was much more to you than just your money and your contacts."

"I had my job at SI, this was a hobby," Tony replies, "until it wasn't."

"Singing and being on the stage was my job, this was my hobby," Natasha smiles, "until it wasn't."

Tony laughs softly, of course she understands. 

"We're not just a label that helps small artists to start and then move over to the next big thing," Natasha says, and Tony loves to hear her say we. "We're the next big thing, too."

"Yes, we are."

"And Tony?" Natasha says, "we're a we. So no one is walking out."

# 10.

  


"I think we made a fair job," Thor says, and behind him Jane rolls her eyes and Tony agrees with her on so many levels. 

"I think so, too," Tony says, because he and Thor just made up and he's not going to waste that. "Thank you for participating in the album."

There's a silence and Jane clears her throat, fake and pointedly.

"Yes, you're welcome," Thor says, "thank you for asking us."

They leave shortly after that. Tony actually really likes them, even likes Thor. They're one of the first bands the label had and they've both grown together, but sometimes Tony would like to--

"Hey boss," Clint walks in without knocking and fully knowing that Tony can't morally complain about that because it's something he does all the time.

"I'm not your boss, Clinton," Tony replies, and very much does not smile at Clint's Santa Claus hat.

"Ugh, Clinton," Clint scratches his nose with the hand not holding a mug.

"Did you need anything?" Tony asks, when Clint just stays there, sipping from his mug.

"Ah! Yes," Clint walks a little closer and looks for his phone in his pocket to search for something. He takes another sip of his mug and stops what he's doing to look at it, "oh, you're empty," he says, to the mug probably. 

He gives Tony the phone, there's an Instagram account open. 

"That's Kate, we want her."

"I just got you a choir last week."

"Technically, Natasha did that," Clint grins, "but I'm saying we as the whole label, she's really good."

"And you know this because?"

"'Cause Bucky and I went to see her live a few nights back."

Tony wouldn't be caught dead admitting that he trusts Clint's judgment, so he grabs his own phone, looks up this girl's account and sends it to Steve. 

"We'll look into her," he says, giving Clint his phone back.

"Cool," Clint says, and he sounds so stupidly pleased that Tony has to make an effort not to smile at his plain existence.

"If there's nothing else, you can go, bane of my existence."

"Love you too, Tony."

# 11.

  


The album is in Tony's hands the last weekend of November, and once he and Steve say the word, it'll be shipped to stores and radio stations. 

"Hey," he says from Steve's office door where he's sitting on his couch, headphones on, and clearly he didn't hear Tony, but he sees him and smiles when he does. Tony smiles back as Steve takes the headphones off.

"I think it's our best Christmas album so far," Steve tells him.

"You say that every year," Tony argues. 

"Then our people keep getting better and better," Steve replies. He points to the free couch next to his and Tony, against his own wishes, refuses with his head. 

"I'm heading out actually, Jarvis wants to go over the Christmas menu and the New Year party menu and I promised an early dinner to talk it over."

"I'll call to make arrangements to have this out," Steve says, showing his own copy of the album. "What are we having for dinner on Christmas?"

"I have no idea, wanna come over and find out with me?"

"I have to make the calls," Steve replies, but before Tony can be disappointed he adds, "so if you two start with New Years' party plans, I can join you later and hear about Christmas. I'll even pick up some cake from that place Jarvis always talks wonders about."

"You just don't want to talk about the party."

"We all hate that party, Tony."

"We do," he agrees, "but we like it when the media leaves, way past midnight and it's just us and the kids, the old ones and the new ones. We like it even when Carol and Thor start arguing about anything only to realize mid-argument that they both agree."

Steve laughs, "we do like that part. And I guess the other part is the job."

"Yep," Tony replies, "see you later?"

"Absolutely," Steve nods and Tony turns to walk away only to be stopped by Steve.

"Hey,"

"Yeah?"

"Nat told me you were in a mood the other day," Steve says, "the, ah, December mood you called it before I think?"

Tony smiles, can't meet Steve's eyes, and he looks down to the floor before looking up, but not at Steve. "We've been doing this for five years Steve, did you think we were gonna make it that far when we started?"

"Yes," Steve says, without a second of hesitation. "I imagined us five, ten, even twenty years forward. I imagined Nat working in bigger studios as we grew, you and I talking with more and more people, I even imagining Jarvis' amusement at having to plan bigger parties."

"I don't believe you."

"I'm not saying I imagined all of that after the first day, when it was the three of us with a foreign band and two singers," Steve confesses, "but after that first year, after we made the first New Year's party and it wasn't just us, that's when I started to see it."

Tony doesn't reply to that, he thinks about that party, about how it was them and just a bit of media, but at least some, he thinks about the morning of the first day of the year and waking up to find Steve and Jarvis talking in his kitchen and he remembers how at that moment, four years ago, he decided he was going to share his life with that man, in whatever way he allowed him to. So maybe, in a way, he also imagined them. But he still has an issue grasping that it has become a reality. He says that last bit to Steve. 

"I do too, sometimes," Steve admits, "not in the _am I dreaming?_ way, but in a simpler, _how can we be so lucky?_ way."

"We're not just lucky, we're good."

"Yes, we are," Steve nods. "Do you remember what Rolling Stone wrote about us when the label started?"

"I remember they called Natasha a failed Russian doll and you a lost starving artist. I sued them."

"I know you did," Steve nods, "and besides that, they wrote: what can a failed Russian doll, a lost starving artist and a rich CEO who doesn't recognize his limits know about music?" Steve smiles, "I think we've done a very good job at letting them know that the answer is 'quite enough'." 

"I think so, too."

"One more thing, Tony,"

"Sure, bring it, we're on a row."

"I know Nat told you we're not gonna walk away," Steve smiles, makes sure to look at Tony in the eyes as he speaks, "like we didn't back then, we're not doing it now and we're not gonna do it in the future."

"I'll try to remember."

"Don't worry, I'll keep repeating it."

# 12.

  


Tony's phone has been vibrating the whole morning. He knows it's a good thing, that it means the album got even more attention than the one they were hoping for, but he hates it because: a. It proves that Steve was right about it being their best Christmas album and Tony may love the man but he's impossible when he's right, and b. It's very annoying.

"You can't throw it away, you need it," Steve says, making Tony look up from his phone. 

"I was thinking about hiding it in the first drawer 'til tonight," Tony holds out a hand, "want me to put yours too?"

"I'd like to say yes, but we need to check things."

"Things are doing great, we don't need to check anything."

"Tony,"

"I know, just let me be irrational a little."

Steve takes Tony's phone from him, opens the first drawer of the desk and throws it in there. He puts his own phone in, too. He closes the drawer, rests his body against Tony's desk, almost sitting on it, and looks at Tony, who smiles at him, content. Steve smiles for a moment too, and then his mouth becomes a straight line. Tony lifts an eyebrow in a silent question.

"You think we've been circling towards this since the begging or just in the past year?" Steve asks, and Tony considers for a second or less, to play safe, to ask Steve what he's talking about, but dismisses that notion. 

"After that first year," Tony says, quoting Steve's words from a few days ago. "At least on my side."

"I could say it was the same for me, or that I've been waiting for this from day one, but I don't think so."

"You don't think so?"

"I enjoy working with you," Steve says, "you gave me an opportunity that no one else would have ever given me, and I care too much about the work we do, about our people, so I always assumed that we were working knowing that this was a possibility but never did anything about it because of everything else."

Tony turns in his chair, fully facing Steve. 

"You didn't just give me a job, Tony," he says, "you gave me a family, you gave me a home."

"I decided a long time ago that I was going to share my life with you, as coworkers, as friends, I didn't care as what as long as I had you with me."

Steve smiles, "so, we have been circling around this since the beginning."

"I guess we have," Tony agrees, gets up and he's standing right in front of Steve now "Hey, Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to kiss you now,"

"That'll be alright," Steve agrees. When he talks, the air from his mouth touches Tony's lips. 

"Just alright?" Tony asks because he can, because he knows it'll make Steve smile and Steve's smile is that thing that should be contemplated as closely as possible and Tony is, indeed, as close as possible. Steve does smile, barely a second before talking.

"Well, I haven't experimented said kiss so I can't say more about it," Steve explains.

"I didn't know you were that much of a man of science."

"I don't know if I'd call myself a man of science," Steve replies, without moving away from Tony, not even one centimetre, and Tony isn't sure why they're still talking and not kissing. "But I like to know facts before giving an opinion. I'd say that I like to be informed."

"Very responsible."

"Someone has to be, in this relationship," Steve reasons. Tony can't argue with that logic and he says it, slowly, so when the words make his lips move forward they're ghosting Steve's. 

"Of course you can argue, you're just choosing not to," Steve says, and the bastard licks his lips after talking, but his tongue doesn't touch Tony's mouth, it's like Steve calculated it exactly. 

"You're distracting."

"My deepest apologies," Steve's hand rests at Tony's side, emanating an impossible heat, and Tony's not sure when that happened and how he missed it, and in the future, he'll tell everyone who wants to hear that Steve was so desperate that he pushed Tony with that hand. But, as Steve would point out every time, there'd be no way to prove it.

The kiss happens. And it's as natural as every other interaction, as sharing coffee, as bumping knees, as texting. Steve's lips are soft but his mouth is determined and he matches Tony's every move and intention. It's absolutely delicious. 

Tony rests his forehead against Steve's when the kiss is over and asks, "alright?"

He opens his eyes to see Steve smile and say "more than."

**Author's Note:**

> The reindeer data about their prongs is [actually true](https://twitter.com/MatiasPandolfi/status/1203769318397431809?s=19).
> 
> Thanks for reading <3


End file.
